Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Did I hear the Minister give an undertaking to allow the proposal or something equivalent to it to be subjected to pre-legislative scrutiny before the spring Bill? It seems to me that there would be a fair yield to the Exchequer. It is somewhat strange, to put mildly, that when we are offering a way for the Department of Social Protection to collect extra money, the Department's response is to say that it might cost too much to collect.

Perhaps if I had the Minister's script I could study it, but I do not see how the amendment affects the level of compensation that will be awarded to an employee. He or she will go before the unfair dismissals tribunal and it will make the appropriate award. That the Department can recover some or all of the social welfare that has been paid is a completely separate matter. Does the Minister intend to subject this to pre-legislative scrutiny in advance of the spring Bill?

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